This week we had some great experiences, and i am soo excited i actuallly have time to write some of them...ok, well the most interesting thing that happened was just a few days ago...we had a really great teaching experience with one of the investigators that we have seen for a long time...gloria is an older lady who taught catechism for years...and she has been listening for the missionies for quite a while...anyways, the lesson that we had with her was very powerful, and it is amazing how people even after being so deeply involved in catholisim, are led to the truth and are able to change their lives...for quite some time we have been inviting her to pray about the book of mormon, because she always read it faithfully and she loves its teaching, but she still wasnt able to understand the importance of knowing that joseph smith was a prophet and that he translated this book...so we explained in a simple way how simple and clear the evidence is that this book proves to us that the church of jesus christ is here upon the earth directed by a living prophet..and by simply reading this book and sincerly asking our heavenly father to know if it is true, we WILL know.. it was a simple lesson, but being able to feel her conversion slowly come thru the power of the book of mormon has been a great experience...it has been such a blessing to be able to teach people with 100 percent confidence that when we do what the lord commands us, he will provide us with the promised blessings....everyday , we are instructed in ways to be able to teach more effectively, and i have learned so much from listening to the spirit...being able to put my trust in the lord and learning how to really listen to peoples problems and concerns and try and put myself in their shoes, i have been able to speak what heavenly father wants them to hear...its not always easy to teach the people when we are in the habit of just teaching the same things in the same order, but the greatest moments we have are when we forget the order, we look at the people who accept us into there homes and we LISTEN...then with the spirit we respond...and teach the doctrine....the spirit always directs us to ask inspired questions, which help the people share with us there religious beliefs, and the lesson isnt a structured thing, but a converation in which is led by the spirit and which i know that we are helping these people increase there faith in God, and live better lives....i know that when we really try and look at these people as our own brothers and sisters and we love them sincerely, we have a more developed desire to ask them simple inspired questions, and with the inspried questions we recieve inspired answers....this process of asking our Heavenly Father for HIS guidance has been the most effective thing, and really, the ONLY way that the gospel of Jesus Christ can be taught...when we listen, and want to know how to help these people, He always lets us know how.
anyways, this is the last week of the change...we`ll see if i stay or go.. at least there is a 95 percent chance that i am going to have a new companion....i cant decide which i would like more ..being in san jose longer or getting to know a knew area....either is great...but finally! spring is starting to manifest itself here!! and the insane amoung of rain has gone, at least for now...but i know that this summer is gonna be tough, because when it is hot, its unbearable...but i still love it!!
i finally mailed a ton of letters to savannah, so they should get there soon and she can give them to you all!! tell the family its always better to email me here...and if they use the urumontemission email they need to include my full name in the subject line so that the leaders know who it is for...but i prefer u email me here...i love and miss you all!! dont forget to email me, even if its just a pic and one line i love to know how you are all doing!!
love, gioia
